Video Resumes: The Awesome and the Awful

By Eileen AJ Connelly, AP Personal Finance Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — When Serene Buckley got her first video resume from a job applicant, she had just finished sifting through about 150 more traditional resumes.

"My first impression was that it was a bold move," said Buckley, a senior executive with MortarPR in San Francisco. "I think paired with a strong (written) resume, I would be interested to bring that person in."

Video resumes have been used for years, but their popularity is rising in a tight labor market as job seekers try to stand out. Videos can convey the message that an applicant is edgy, confident and creative. But they also have a possible downside: If badly produced, they can sabotage a job hunt.

Many recruiters see video resumes as an important tool if they're part of a package that presents the applicant well.

"They are an extraordinary tool to drive a search," said Don Straits, CEO of Corporate Warriors, an executive placement firm in Auburn, Calif.

But, he added, "the only way that video resumes are really effective is when they're used in context with supporting documents." That means combining a video with a strong written resume and information about a person's past performance.

"When video resumes are not used properly, they are worthless," Straits said. "And in fact, may do more harm than good."

Rob Moriarty wasn't used to getting in front of a camera when he made his first video resume in 2004, but the producers he worked with helped make the process easier. The video was well received during his job search, and now that he's looking again, he has a new one available.

"The hiring process is all about chemistry," said Moriarty, a sales executive from Walpole, Mass. "People want to hire somebody they're comfortable with. If they can get a look at that person before they meet him or her, they feel much more comfortable, and that goes a long way."

Moriarty is a video resume success story. At the other end of the spectrum is Aleksey Vayner. In 2006, the Yale University student became an unintentional Internet celebrity when he sent the investment bank UBS a video resume featuring him lifting weights, skiing, performing martial arts and ballroom dancing. The video found its way to YouTube and elsewhere online, generating plenty of ridicule but no job offers.